Landmark (global) anti-smoking treaty comes into force

Times of India ^ | FEBRUARY 27, 2005 | AFP

[holymoly]

GENEVA: A landmark treaty aimed at cutting deaths and illness caused by smoking came into force ON Sunday.

Fifty-seven countries ratified international restrictions on tobacco producers and smokers, World Health Organisation (WHO)said.

The WHO hopes the first ever public health treaty will stop the estimated five million annual deaths caused by smoking from doubling by 2020.

Till now, 168 countries that have signed up the treaty.

"I encourage all countries to become party to the treaty. This can result in millions of lives saved," said WHO director-general Lee Jong Wook.

"Its entry into force is a demonstration of governments' commitment to reduce death and illness from tobacco use," he added.

The WHO regards tobacco as the only legal product that eventually kills half its regular users, fuelling the second leading cause of death in the world.

"This means that out of 1.3 billion smokers, 650 million will die prematurely," it added in a statement.

Tobacco-related ill-health is thought to sap $200 billion from rich and poor countries.

Treaty parties must now pass the measures into national law within three to five years.

The first parties include major industrialised countries -- except the US -- European nations, India, Pakistan, Mexico, Thailand, as well as Indian and Pacific Ocean Island states.

[holymoly]

"This means that out of 1.3 billion smokers, 650 million will die prematurely,"

How many non-smokers die prematurely?

[samtheman]

The UN is looking out for us.

[layman]

I hope Sudan signed on to this ... lots of people dying prematurely over there.

[Paleo Conservative]

I wonder if a country already had tougher legislation, will this treaty undermine it?

[farmfriend]

Rights, farms, environment ping.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.

[teenyelliott]

Please stop passing laws to protect me from myself. If I want to smoke until I die, I will do so. No one ever considers, even in this country, the effect of tobacco vilification has on the South, on farmers, on people who work in the industry and every other individual who makes a living from this legal crop. Oh, but we don't care if all of these people lose their jobs, right? Tabakcy is bad, so who cares.

Go ahead, make it illegal so that we can have black market cigarettes. Then we can have people thrown in our overcrowded prisons for smoking, and we can have drug lords make ten year old boys sell cigarettes on the corner so that they can get shot or end up life long criminals. AAAARRGGGGGGGG!

Sorry, this kind of stuff really gets my goat. And that ends up making me even more angry, cause I really like my goat and would rather have him not get got.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Isn't the WHO the name of a legendary rock band?

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!

[Ditter]

I hate smoke, I will go to any lengths to avoid it, but I agree with you. If people want to smoke and if it kills them, so be it. It is their choice, just give me some space so I don't have to breathe your smoke. That is my choice.

[RightWhale]

This can result in millions of lives saved," said WHO director-general Lee Jong Wook.

It's not like somebody has caught the flu and is saved by antibiotics from death by pneumonia for another day. Eventually everybody goes, smoker or not. WHO saves nobody. Jesus saves, and if WHO wants to compete for the eternal soul they need to change their campaign.

[KS Flyover]

[qam1]

"This means that out of 1.3 billion smokers, 650 million will die prematurely,"

Ummm that's half.

Half of everyone will die Prematurely!!!!

Half the people will live longer than average lifespan and half the people will die prematurely before the average, That's why it's call the average.

Morons!

[TexasCowboy]

"I really like my goat and would rather have him not get got."

Thank you.

I needed a laugh after reading this trash.

[TexasCowboy]

I just sent you a link to this BS in e-mail.

[Gabz]

How many non-smokers die prematurely?

considering that they consider "premature" in smokers as anything over the age of 1 up to and including 118......I guess all non-smokers die prematurely

[holymoly]

[Gabz]

I forgot to add you to my ping for the other thread about this same thing............. Smoking gets it's own Kyoto

[F16Fighter]

"The UN is looking out for us."

Yeah, always...(pardon me while I extricate this red hot UN sanctioned poker from my posterior.)

[TexasCowboy]

Well, the proof is in the Bible!

Methuselah lived 969 years because he had a non-smoking household!

Now, it doesn't say that he had a non-smoking household, but it doesn't say he didn't, either!

So there! The proof!

[Gabz]

Wait..........Let's re-write your thought

Methuselah lived 969 years because he had a smoking household!

Now, it doesn't say that he had a smoking household, but it doesn't say he didn't, either!

So there! The proof!